TITHING- Part 1

"We live in a competitive religious marketplace. You have to be competitive if you are going to attract and keep members." (John Smith, church consultant)

The first and most important thing to keep in mind as you read this chapter is it is not my intention to convince anyone to stop tithing. My goal is to show that tithing is not a biblical standard and should not be taught as such. If, however, you feel God calling you to give what you refer to as a tithe to the church which you belong then continue to do so. But you should in no way feel guilty about not tithing nor should you feel pressured to tithe. The biblical standard is to practice the discipline of giving. Giving requires much more, but it is not a religious obligation nor is the value or destination of the gift predetermined.

My interest in studying tithing happened shortly after I began working at the last church that I worked in. Two of my closest friends were fired from their position as associate ministers of their own churches because they questioned tithing as an unbiblical teaching. I was shocked at how volatile an issue it could be. Personally I was always bothered by the excessive talk about tithing in the institution, but because I felt it was a biblical teaching and it was necessary I didn’t think about it too much. Like many in the church, I felt teaching people about tithing was a teaching on spiritual disciplines that ultimately helped the person in their relationship with Christ. But as I grew in my professional role in the church and became more aware of the politics of the church the more I was concerned by what was being taught from the pulpit about tithing.

As I began to study tithing I became aware of certain truths that were unpopular. As I shared my views within my ministry I began to face some adversity of my own. Now note that I wasn’t openly proclaiming giving money to the church was wrong. I was simply sharing true biblical teachings on the tithe when it was appropriate. When I was finally fired from my last position one of the primary reasons I was given was because of my views on tithing. While discussing my position of tithing I was asked, “Who do you think you work for anyway?” Increasing people’s awareness of their responsibility to tithe, as it is approached, is one of the primary goals of the institution. This is incredibly troublesome, but is expected. The turning point of any healthy community to an institutional paradigm is when the perceived health of the church is dependent on its income. This can be motivated by greed, competition, or ignorance, but the results are always the same.

My personal study on tithing was intended to be objective. Remember, at the time of my initial study I still supported the tithe. But I found virtually no credible argument for tithing in scripture or theology. I found rhetoric and institutional growth strategies, but no reasonable justification for it. What I did find was support for tithing in the Old Testament that was either invalidated by the new covenant (both grace and the new priesthood) or New Testament teachings on the discipline of giving (which I support and is not the same thing as the tithe). My study of tithing took me to seven passages of scripture. I have chosen these passages because they are not only scripture which can be used to dispute tithing, but are often used to support tithing as well. They include scripture on Abraham’s encounter with Melchezedek, Jacob’s agreement with God regarding his tithe, Levitical codes regarding the rules on tithing as understood by the Israelites, one of the many selections from Deuteronomy, the third chapter of Malachi, Jesus’ teachings on tithing, and the early church teachings regarding the tithe. I will quickly look at each of these in biblical order.

Genesis 14: 20

“And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”

The first passage is a significant one regarding the tithe. Genesis 14 takes place approximately 2000 years after the story of Adam and Eve from a literalist perspective. During those years there is no biblical reference to tithing. And despite the fact Abram was making money, there is also no record that Abram ever tithed as a result of some biblical law that told him to do so. When he did give one tenth, it was not of the increase of his flocks and herds, which was the tithe prescribed by the Law, but rather of the spoils of war he had gained by defeating the army from Mesopotamia. After receiving ministry from Melchezedek he gave 10% of the spoils to him and the remainder to Sodom. So even though Abraham may have given a tenth to a priest, it cannot be used as a standard of tithing. But it is a standard of giving. Abraham gave to the one that ministered to him out of free will and the leading of God. The discipline of giving has no religious connection. The priesthood of Melchezedek was postponed temporarily for the Aaronic priesthood which was religious in nature. But when Jesus reestablishes the priesthood in the order of Melchezedek, the standard of giving is also reestablished.

By looking at this passage in Genesis there are a number of things we can learn. The first is that it is unique. Leviticus requires that a tithe is agricultural or cattle. Abraham specifically gave from the plunder of war. Furthermore, there is nothing here to suggest that Abraham tithed after this encounter with Melchizedek. The next thing we can see that is unique is that Abraham gave to someone other than a Levite, as required by the Law. An understandable argument to support the tithe is Melchezedek was far before there were Levites, but he was still a priest. This is a good argument, but Melchezedek was also a king which is significantly different than what a Levite was. The point is there was no standard set by Abraham on giving to a priest. This is simply further evidence the encounter was unique. As we look at this passage in Genesis 14 and compare it with the writings in Hebrews about the Genesis 14 writings, it is obvious the point in Hebrews is we, as believers, are under a new priesthood. Genesis 14 represents a type or foreshadowing. Therefore, the argument that chapter 14 in Genesis sets a standard for tithing is, in fact, the best argument against such a requirement.